C’EST MOI:

I'm an atheist, anarchist writer. Angels, demons, gods and aliens are interchangeable here. I'm self-governed only by freedom of speech, as defined by Amnesty as a human right. I write fiction and non-fiction, under my own name and as a freelance copywriter and ghostwriter. I'm also an alcoholic with chronic depression.
I'm a regular contributor of short fiction to a webzine and I've had over 50 stories published online and in print. I've published two novels, two anthologies and an award-winning children's book. I'm working on other books and I continue to write short stories for a third collection.
The rest is contained within this blog, where I wear my heart on my left hand and tell it as it is, or how I see things.

Filing cabinet:

Previously:

Repetitive Strain Syndrome:

Quod Erat Demonstrandum

20.03.14 (Day 88)

13.42

I’m in McDonald’s for my lunchtime coffee. I’m on three a day at the moment: one with breakfast, one at lunchtime and one in the evening. As well as being bloody good coffee, it keeps me awake. And most of the time it’s free. If I get served by certain staff, they give it to me on the house. Other staff collect loyalty stickers for me and obviously I collect them myself; all of which combines to make most coffees free.

I’ve reverted to good old-fashioned pen and paper for writing the journal that forms the basis of the blog. This is for a number of reasons:

Things have conspired against me. When using the laptop hub (mains power points) in the library, many websites which are accessible via the public access computers aren’t available: Facebook (and all social networking sites), Gmail (and all web-based email services) and WordPress (and all other blogging sites): the main ones I effing use! The restrictions also include (exclude) all work-around, proxy and mirror sites. So I’m rendered unable to work as I’d planned: nine to five in the library on the netbook. The sites which are blocked (for reasons of “social responsibility”, according to Kent Libraries), are exactly the ones I need to use. So I’m still limited to one hour per day on the library computers. I can work offline and charge up the netbook as I do so, then work online at McDonald’s but I can’t charge up there (here). It’s all somewhat divisional.

Having found one of the old hand-written journals (Volume One: Two and Three remain missing by theft), I appreciate being able to leaf through old notes with no fear of losing power. Such a shame that the first two journals were stolen and probably gone for good.The hand-written journals contain contributions – messages and drawings from people I’ve met on my travels. I find comfort in these and intend to gain further contributions in Volume Five, which is the one I’m writing (by hand) now.

I enjoy the physical act (of writing): it’s therapeutic and it garners conversation which writing on an electronic device simply doesn’t. When writing the old-fashioned way, casual observers will occasionally enquire, ” What are you writing?”

18.42

I’m back in McDonald’s having spent the afternoon in the library. The Blackberry Z10 is now listed on eBay. Fingers crossed that it sells as this is Gilbert House Trading’s first listing and therefore we have zero feedback. It was very much a case of weighing things up: sell a load of low-value items to build feedback while time progressed and the value of the phone decreased, or sell the handset ASAP and hope for a good price, despite no feedback. It’ll be at least two weeks before we realise any benefit as the listing lasts for seven days, then a buyer has to confirm that the item has arrived and is as described. Then PayPal fart around and eventually we get paid.

I’m breaking a habit tonight and drinking hot chocolate instead of the usual coffee. It’s taken this long to realise what one of the contributing factors to my insomnia is: that’ll be the three large, strong cups of coffee per day.

My date for tonight may have blown out as Bec has found herself unexpectedly and unavoidably possibly otherwise engaged or indisposed. A shame as I like being with her. She’s good company, she gets me, she likes me and she’s very, very pretty. But I’m used to disappointment.

19.42

The Blackberry sold for the Buy it Now price, which was rather huge. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is, so I’m not holding my breath. The buyer is in America and has zero feedback, so I’m exercising caution. One of the conditions of sale is payment received via PayPal prior to despatch of the item. Trusting though I am, I’ve been on the other side so I shall wait until thus it is proved (Quod erat demonstradum).